Warm sea water may force Pilgrim shutdown

The Plymouth nuclear power station’s federal license requires a shutdown if the sea water used for cooling stays above 75 degrees. It briefly topped 75 Tuesday night.

By Lane Lambert

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Lane Lambert

Posted Jul. 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 18, 2013 at 6:14 PM

By Lane Lambert

Posted Jul. 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 18, 2013 at 6:14 PM

PLYMOUTH

» Social News

The Pilgrim nuclear reactor may be temporarily shut down if this week’s heat wave makes Cape Cod Bay water too warm for the plant to use for cooling.

The plant’s federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission license requires that the salt water Pilgrim uses not be more than 75 degrees. The temperature briefly topped 75.3 Tuesday night.

Plymouth is forecast to have highs around 90 to 91 Thursday and Friday, with a chance of thunderstorms Thursday night. But Carol Wightman, a spokesperson for Pilgrim’s owner Entergy, declined to say whether the plant is nearing the shutdown point, or how long the sea water temperature must stay above 75 to trigger that action.

She said that in a deregulated market, Pilgrim and Entergy can't disclose that information.

As of Thursday morning the NRC reported the plant was still at 100 percent of power production.

Wightman said plant engineers constantly monitor the temperature of the hundreds of thousands of gallons of water the plant takes in and discharges every day.

She said plant crews follow “very specific procedures” for heat-related shutdowns. Pilgrim’s license requires the plant to make such a shutdown within 24 hours.